Erdoğan urges establishment of Palestinian state without delay

JAKARTA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 12, the establishment of a Palestinian state with territorial integrity could no longer be delayed.

“Until Gaza and the Palestinians are at peace, it is not possible for other countries in the region to achieve stability,” Erdoğan said at a joint press conference with his Indonesian counterpart, Prabowo Subianto, in the city of Bogor.

Erdoğan reiterated his call for a sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“Any step, any proposal or project that would erode this is illegitimate in our eyes as more conflict means more bloodshed and instability,” he said.

He also maintained that Israel should be responsible for covering the estimated $100 billion in damages caused by its attacks on Gaza.

"We appreciate Indonesia's stance on the Palestinian issue," he said. "In the coming period, we will continue to work with Indonesia in rebuilding Gaza and defending the Palestinian cause."

Erdoğan’s visit marked the first meeting of the high-level strategic cooperation council between Türkiye and Indonesia. The two countries signed 13 agreements spanning trade, defense and media cooperation.

Among the agreements, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono signed a deal on health and medical sciences collaboration.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and Indonesian Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia inked a memorandum of understanding on energy and natural resources

Additionally, Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır signed two agreements, one with Indonesia's Investment Minister Rosan Perkasa Roeslani on investment promotion and another with Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita on industrial cooperation.

Further agreements included cooperation on agriculture, trade, higher education, religious affairs and defense. Türkiye's Baykar and Indonesia’s Republikorp signed a deal for the joint production and export of Bayraktar TB3 and Bayraktar Akıncı drones

Media cooperation agreements were also signed between Turkish and Indonesian state agencies, including a deal between Türkiye's Anadolu Agency and Indonesia’s ANTARA news agency, as well as between Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and Indonesia’s public broadcasters LPP, RRI and TVRI.

Erdoğan said a comprehensive joint statement was adopted with Subianto to shape the future of bilateral relations between Türkiye and Indonesia.